Community mental health services rated among the best in England
Community mental health services in Herefordshire and Worcestershire have been rated amongst the best in England in the annual Community Mental Health Survey.
Local services topped the national leader board for ‘meeting the needs of their patients’ and met or exceeded expectations across all other domains.
The survey was commissioned by The Care Quality Commission (CQC), regulators of all health and social care services in England.
It sought to understand the experiences of patients aged 16 and over who have accessed community mental health services, such as Talking Therapies and Neighbourhood Mental Health Teams. These services are typically delivered to patients in community settings, such as a clinic or GP practice, or within their own homes.
Locally they are provided by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, the main provider of mental health and learning disability services across the two counties.
In addition to being the highest scoring provider for meeting the needs of their patients, the services were rated above national average in four other areas, including medication management and consideration for the way mental illness can impact other aspects of a patient’s life.
David Thomas, Associate Director for Primary Care and Community Mental Health Services said , “I am incredibly proud of everyone working across community mental health services in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
“The feedback from this survey is a testament to the ongoing dedication of our teams, and their commitment to providing high-quality, compassionate and personalised care to patients.”
The results follow a period of transition for the trust who took over the delivery of mental health and learning disability services in Herefordshire in April 2020.
The trust went on to pilot new neighbourhood mental health teams, bringing together professionals from a range of disciplines to integrate within local GP practices - providing more joined-up care to patients.
The success of the pilot led to the model being rolled out more widely across both counties.
To find out more about local mental health services, visit www.hacw.nhs.uk.